>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. one week after tie ninan in the philippines they are still struggling to get aid where it is needed most. and a mission to mars, a probe with plans to orbit mars in the next ten months. >> take a look at this, the bulls just keep running on wall street now reaching new heights. dow 16,000. the dow taking off from the

opening bell crossing the 16,000 mark for the first time and still there right now. stocks up 51 points getting a boost from china which announced a broad plan for economic refo reform. our other top story those tornadoes that tore through the midwest. authorities now saying six people were killed, hundreds of buildings and homes damaged or destroyed. central illinois appears to be the hardest hit. the governor plans to visit that area today. in washington, illinois, one person was killed when those tornado tore through. how is the damage and how are people coping? >> reporter: well, the damage is significant. this area is completely viscerated. the trees that have not been completely unrooted have lost all of their limbs. there were homes here behind me but those have been completely devastated. you see debris strewn about

combined with people's personal belongings. it's a deadly scene. people are coping in a way where they say yesterday they were happy to be alive. today under the stark light of day they see how much they've lost out. >> this is the time of year where people are getting ready for thanksgiving, now they're just getting ready to find a place to live. how are the people there coping? what are they saying? >> reporter: well, it's definitely tough. just to give you a couple of numbers, 250 to 500 homes have been destroyed. we drove up near an argument apt complex that were also destroyed. it's a tough time right now. this is the deadliest storm of this kind that illinois has ever seen in november, so people are going to have a hard time coping with this in the days comic

before thank you. >> can you give me a heads up ahead of what you might have said? >> seven counties here in illinois, state disaster areas. he is going to be visiting some of these affected areas. we will have an opportunity to hear some sound from him. let's take a listen to what the governor has to say. >> it is important that we see ourselves as a family, that we come together when something very dangerous and difficult and deadly happens. to the people who are all in this together. and our state government is going to respond with every asset we have to make sure that these communities and the people in them are able to recover. >> and again some of the resources that are becoming available because of that state assistance include trucks and chase equipment, machinery to remove debris. again this clean up is just starting and it will be days and weeks before much of this is

cleared away. >> joining us from washington, illinois, thank you very much. our team coverage continues with jonathan martin who is in illinois. jonathan, what about the extent of damage in the area where you are? >> reporter: well, dal del, it's pretty extensive. we're right here on the kentucky-illinois border. paduka, kentucky right over the border. this warehouse has completely flattened. the latest numbers three people confirmed killed as a result of the storm here in brook port. and possibly more than 25 people seriously injured. those are people who actually had to go to the hospital. they also had other people with minor injuries here last night and they had to set up a makeshift hospital at one of the elementary schools. this storm came through at 4:00 yesterday. a lot of people didn't take it seriously. they didn't know that this was going to be this way, and so a

lot of people did stay. we have a lot of businesses back here in decision to this one that are completely destroyed. a lot of people just coming back in here. there was a curfew until 6:00 this morning. so they're just coming back in within the last couple of hours and seeing the extent of the damage. >> did you get a feeling that people didn't take this storm seriously because of the time of year when it happened? >> reporter: right, exactly. that's what we're told. we talked to a business owner back here, a woman who has had a feed barn back here for 30 years, she said we in november expect snowballs, not hail balls. so they didn't expect this to happen. most people stayed in their homes, and just sort of rode out this storm. they didn't leave town. i asked the people, has this ever happened? they said in their lifetime never have seen a storm this severe, this bad, so it has caught people off guard.

>> jonathan, thank you very much. eboni will now describe the reasons behind the storm. was this expected. >> reporter: we were definitely watching it, and the ingredients were coming together for the severe weather outbreak. that's what we saw. an area of low pressure just north of that front, and it was creating a lot of wind energy at the surface we have winds coming up from the south. that warm moist air it was. what we're finding as this junior of low pressure moved along we're getting lift and instability. this lift and spin and move off to the east. that's where we got some of the thunderstorm activity. it started here in illinois. a line of storms progress eastward moving from illinois into indiana. we lost the tornado threat some but there was a lot of wind damage along the system. >> eboni deon, thank you very

much. it's been more than a week since typhoon haiyan struck the philippines, and they're trying to get aid to where it's needed most. 4 million people have been displaced, nearly 13 million others affected by the storm itself. the president of the country now visiting some of the islands devastated by haiyan. president aquino said he'll stay in that region until he sees more signs of progress in the aid efforts. meanwhile a filipino team is in tacloban trying to identify bodies in a mass grave. the process is slow and they say they have few resources to work with. the u.s. pledging an additional so million dollars no aid bringing the total to more than $37 million. and the top priority is getting food, water and medicine to those survivors, but distribution is being hampered

by logistical problems, and its reported that the quality of the food being handed out is being questioned as well. >> total devastation has become typical coastal areas of eastern leyte. this iin this district residentr resident told me of their ordeal. dramatic stories of survival has become commonplace. everyone is in the same position. traumatized by their experience, thankful to be alive and worried for the future. for now just getting enough food to eat for a few days is the focus. aid is coming through but people say it's not enough, and it's not always good quality. >> we survived the calamity, and a few days after we're about to eat this kind of rice. we have no medicine, we have no hospitals, but we will get sick about this rice that they were

given. >> reporter: district leader is san miguel's link to city government. he goes to city hall daily to ask if there is anything for the people in this area. he noticed that some sacks of rice from ba were bad. >> nearly every sack had rice like that, black, lumpy, not fit for human consumption. >> reporter: the rice is yellow and old. the can de formed because whatever is inside seems to have expanded. this area has been hit particularly hard because six districts lie actually on the coast. when people need help there are key institutions that they turn to. one is, of course, city hall where the mayor holds office. the building has been destroyed, too, but it's a hive of activity. people here are asking for aid, getting medical care, and hoping

someone can help. the mayor says the rice is fine, and that the can didn't come from city hall. she said that they're giving out as much food as they can. >> we only give them, as long as i have sacks of rice come in. i don't stack it here. i give it right away. sometimes there are 9 sacks. sometimes there are 12 sacks, whatever i have. >> they're sharply in focus for how well they're actually helping people from haiyan. >> french president speaking out about the middle east peace process. calling on israel to stop building settlements on palestinian territory. he made those comments during a visit to the west bank and he also urged the two sides to compromise in order to reach a deal. hollande telling prime minister

benjamin netanyahu that france would maintain its stance on up coming talks of iran's nuclear program. russian president shrewd vlr putin said he made a statement in a phone call with a hassan rouhani talks on iran's nuclear program are set to resume next week in geneva. and secretary of john kerry is talking about the u.s. relationship with latin america today. u.s. relationship has been complicated over recent months because of allegations the nsa conducted surveillance operations in several of those countries including brazil and mexico. nasa's newest explorer is expected to blast off in the next few hours. it's on a mission to study the red planet's atmosphere. we're live from the kennedy space center in florida, what do scientists hope to learn?

>> reporter: well, del, this is an exciting mission because the launch of the mavin with wrote weather conditions this afternoon, is set to launch, and it remains to be seen you, but we're hopeful. the mission is the second mission for nassau's mars scout program but it's the first specifically designed to study the upper atmosphere of mars. scientists believe that mars was similar to earth some 4 billion years ago but now it's a cold dry planet. so at this point nasa scientists want to know what happened to cause such a drastic climate change, and what caused mars to lose it's liquid water because previous explorations indicate that water once existed on mars. and the big question what caused mars to lose it's early atmosphere.

mavin will be launched in space and will carry with it eight scientific instruments that will take measurements of the atmosphere of mars and the average trip time from earth to mars, ten months. now once it reaches mars in 2014 it will spend one earth year to orbit the planet as some point as close to the surface of mars as 93 miles above the planet. that way they'll be table measure gas and atmosphere of the planet. >> julia, joining us live from the kennedy space center. hopefully mavin won't hear that "recall late" coming up. workers in japan remove the radioactive fuel from its

fukushima power plant that was damaged in 2011. go to aljazeera.com.

>> start with one issue education... gun control... the gap between rich and poor... job creation... climate change... tax policy... the economy... iran... healthcare... ad guests on all sides of the debate. >> this is a right we should all have... >> it's just the way it is... >> there's something seriously wrong... >> there's been acrimony... >> the conservative ideal... >> it's an urgent need... and a host willing to ask the tough questions >> how do you explain it to yourself? and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story next only on al jazeera america

>> the group has been held since september when they scaled a russian oil rig in the arctic protesting oil drilling in that region. workers at the fukushima power plant are beginning to remove the fuel rods from the reactor. it's a yearlong process and extremely dangerous. >> delicate dangerous operation at reactor number four. this crane is removing some of the 400 tons of spent nuclear fuel. the unprecedented process is fraught with risk. the fuel rods are brittle. if they break or become exposed to air huge amounts of highly

radioactive gas could escape into the atmosphere. >> we hope this process will be conducted in a manner that will not disturb local residents and it will be done properly and with safety. >> there are fuel rods in the assembly. it will take rough lay week to remove 22 assemblies that will keep the fuel cool. with more than 1,500 fuel assemblies requiring removal, this is a year-long operation. >> i would assume they have serious evacuation plans, but they are not made. public so as not to create fear but palestinians have to be made in case. and workers, i have to give high respect for going there. they know how dangerous it is. >> reporter: the earthquake in tsunami badly damaged all four

reactors at fukushima. the power company tepco said its experience will help it deal with other reactors where radiation levels are higher because of core meltdowns. tepco continues to face criticism for its handlingsing of thhandleing ofits crisis. >> one of the most critical tasks for workers is finding out which rods are likely to leak. current cost to the clean up, $50 billion. >> boeing expects to decide within the next two to three months whether weather it will build it's new 777 passenger plane. the ceo of the plane firm said it will consider its options.

union leaders rejected, boeing just announced the show that orders worth $100 billion for that new plane. google is going to retail for the holidays. opening up pop-up showrooms in six cities. it will be called winter wonder labs displaying tablets and computers and snow globes will allow customers to take videos of themselves. and one million of the video consoles were solid last friday, it's first day on the market. the company expects to sell 5 million of the consoles in five months. and rival microsoft will release its console on friday. reportedly offering to work out a no-spying agreement with berlin which follows leaks allegebyangela merkel.

>> a grim reminder of how the east german regime spied on its citizens for decades. governments use computers to snoop effortlessly through every day lives. washington was almost certainly listening in on german chancellor angela merkel's cell phone causing outrage. >> back there in communist times they did it to repress people. they did it to prevent people were fleeing to the west. today they say they're doing it for protection. >> during the trip obama said american surveillance had stopped terror plots against this country but he didn't say

was that the american embassy right over here has according to the german media, a suite of rooftop rooms filled with surveillance equipment. the assumption here had chancellor merkel used her cell phone on that summary day the americans would have been able to record every word she said. >> the session on the scandal will no doubt express outrage for american actions but also from the opposition at angela america. >> well, they're angry that the americans spied on her cell phone, but at the same time she went at bat with them. >> reporter: it could be risky for merkel, whatever the outrage for phone hacking in germany.

benefiting from the information from spying material could also raise anger. >> 12 miles of grit and grime and 20 obstacles to make it tougher.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. here are the day's top stories. mayhem in the midwest. a string of tornadoes tearing across five states, killing six and injuring dozens more. central illinois, the hardest hit area of homes and businesses completely flattened. today residents are back in trying to pick up their pieces. more than 4 million filipinos have been displaced by typhoon haiyan. thpresident aquino said he will

stay in tacloban until the aid is received by that region. those military style mud runs are big business these days, and in the u.s. alone 2 million people paying hundreds of dollars to be pushed to the extreme. we dish out the dirt on the toughest mudder. >> reporter: mark hallway will run for 24 hours straight competing against hundreds of other people. he'll climb these walls, make these jumps, and get electrocu electrocuted. hallway is at the toughest mudder event, one of the hardest obstacle course notice world. the race would test anyone but for hallway just being here isen achievement. until this year he had no use of his right arm.

>> i fatigue quicker, but i've got the heart, and i'll push on through 123-4507 hallway was wounded in an explosion in afghanistan where he served with the british army. after months of recovery now he runs for charity. >> because there have been a lot more seriously injured than myself. >> reporter: he is the target commuter and that's part of what makes it a great business. all of these competitors are spending hundreds of dollars to run in the mud. tough mudder started a few years ago with only $20,000. last year it made $75 million in revenue. despite growing popularity and cult-like following safety remains a concern. >> in virginia a 28-year-old died from jumping from an obstacle called "walk the plank." the published report on that tough mudder event that calls for more research in the volume and unique types of injuries

that happen in their event. tough mudder is only one of extreme obstacle course competition. others face the same issues, and there are still no industry standard for safety or medical preparedness. tough mudder says it takes every precaution within its control. >> we design safety first. we think about how this is going to impact participates, and what is the intent of the obstacle and what is the glisk of course danger is part of the draw. >> it's like a drug. >> yes, danger, why do i do this? >> reporter: 20% of participates have dropped out. holloway was not one of them. >> i was planning to do 50 miles but i ended up doing 60. >> he'll sign up again for the mud run so he can do this, and

this and this all over again. >> meteorologist: conditions are quieter where we get with weather over the weekend. we have much dryer air moving in, but the wind are still strong, and we're going to have to deal with wind gusting 40 to 50 mph around parts of the eastern great lakes. here in the midwest skies are mainly clear and we're seeing a great deal of sunshine. we still have weather wrapping around that area of low pressure. we have snow showers coming in the northern areas of michigan. light snow falling there and we could see accumulation. we're in the 20's around the bay. 30 degrees in minneapolis. 30 degrees in chicago. 50 degrees in st. louis.

st. louis still not too bad for you but those mild temperatures will be changing for you throughout the day with cooler air. the rain came through early tonight early this morning but take a look, we're drying out. the winds are still winning across the general region. we have winds gusting at 44 mph in buffalo. wind up to 30 mph, and 30 in cleveland. our wind advisories will remain in place just off the lakes. expect gusting winds as we head into the afternoon. cool be trend for today will start off in the upper 60s in new york city follow to go 60 in the later part of the churc rig. >> eboni, thank you very much. the numbers of koalas is going down because of urban sprawl. thank you very much for watchi

watching. i'm del walters. "inside story" is next. on "inside story." >> hello, i'm ray suareza. when the governor of hawai'i signed same-sex marriage into law wins it brought the issue full circle to where it began. it was 1991 when a woman sued to have the right to marry her partner. since that lawsuit the pace of